Fluorinated polyethers (for example, perfluoropolyethers) have been used to prepare coating compositions for application to substrates (for example, hard surface substrates and fibrous substrates) to impart low surface energy characteristics such as oil and/or water repellency (oleophobicity and/or hydrophobicity). Thin films of perfluoropolyethers have also been used in various applications including use on magnetic recording media and/or electrical contacts (for example, as lubricants to reduce friction and wear, to protect surfaces from corrosion, and/or to allow conduction).
When used in coatings or films, however, many fluorinated polyethers have tended to diffuse to the surface of the coating or film and to become depleted over time (for example, due to repeated cleanings of the surface). This has led to the use of fluorinated polyether derivatives having reactive or functional groups (for example, fluorinated polyether thiols). The preparation of such functional derivatives has often required the use of complex, multi-step processes, the use of difficult-to-prepare intermediates, and/or has resulted in a product mixture rather than substantially purely the desired derivative compound.